Help! What do I eat for glowing health and vitality?

zillah73

I didn't go too far back in your diary – just a few days – but looking at just that I would suggest loading up on the veggies and diversify. Remember to eat the rainbow (fruits and veggies of a variety of colors – not bags of skittles :laugh: ) Veggies are so low-cal and nutrient-rich it is easy to toss them into everything, bulk up meals and make them satisfying. Plus they have fiber that is very filling. Keep an eye on food labels and remember the fewer the ingredients, the better. Just get as close to natural as you can. If you like yogurt maybe browse around and check out some other brands – chobani and fage are on the cleaner side (yoplait actually contains gelatin and tricalcium phosphate – ground animal collagen and bone). And I definitely support the idea of a multivitamin. Hope that helps and best of luck!

zillah73

Oh yeah! And water... lots and lots and lots of water!

MrsWells1983

*Eat more plant based foods and cut back on processed foods. I hate the no fat/low fat yoghurts like yoplait. It's like melted plastic to me.
*Try a 'Hair, Skin and Nails' supplement (In Australia Blackmores do a good one)
*Drink more water
*Use some good quality 'natural' facial products (I use a handmade, organic, local clay based cleanser, I don't tone and I moisturise with rose hip oil at night and a handmade, organic moisturiser during the day)
*Get a decent amount of sleep each night!

Just a couple of tips for you!

thisismeraw

hmmm...ton of processed foods? Do you mean the protein powder? Or do you consider yogurt "processed"? I am upping the protein powder right now because I am doing P90X and want build muscle, and I don't want to add more meat or eggs than I am already eating. Lest I sound defensive, I want you to know I am considering doing more raw/juicing and cutting down on the meat once the macro balance isn't so key.

Got a good skincare regimen, just went for a seaweed facial last week :-)

P.S. I am really looking forward to phasing back in more stuff when I hit goal weight. More of all the good stuff. I hear you, I really do!

Protein powders, yogurts, cheese slices, almond milk/butters, sauces, etc etc are all processed (not that there is anything super wrong with processed... I personally find I do better with as little processed as possible). For me, store bought almond milk messes up my skin and makes me feel terrible so I make my own... could be happening to you as well. I don't juice so I can't say whether or not that will help.

It's great to up the protein... get it in any way you can. Just a word of warning, eating at a calorie deficit will not allow you to build muscle. At a deficit, you either maintain or lose the muscle you have. You have to eat at a slightly surplus of calories along with heavy lifting to build muscle. Considering the fact that you don't have a lot to lose what about taking the focus off the scale and going to measurements? Build some muscle... the scale won't go down as you want it to but your body will be smaller.

Up your veggies and fruits and you won't need a multivitamin. With a proper diet you should be able to get all your nutrients from food alone (kale for example has over 100% of the vit A and C you need in a day in just 1 cup). If you think a multi will help take one and see.

pouncepet

Take a good Multivitamin - they are not created equal.
Eat more. As you get close to goal (and you are very close) the deficit should be like 200-300 calories. You are over taxing your body.

Honestly, you should stop focusing on the scale - as in, throw it out. Eat (GOOD FOOD) at TDEE for a month, lift heavy weights, sleep enough - TRACK your progress via weekly photos, measurements and how you feel (and how much more you can lift/run/jump/etc)

You may be pleasantly surprised at how your body recomposition and how you look after a month or two.

stephanj

Thanks I take the points about processed stuff. I've been phasing it put gradually ( nothing out of a box, only beans and tomato sauce out of a can) I will think about some different yogurt choices and look at dairy labels more. Anyone who is keeping up with that level of cleanliness in your diet, my hat is off to you!

BluePHX

P.S. the only thing I do not do is take a multivitamin. Is it really that simple? Not sure if I "believe" in needing a multi. Thoughts?

Exfoliate. I'm not sure if you do on a regular basis or not but at least once every couple of weeks, exfoliate your skin in some form or another. You get a lot of dead skin build up even with use of a moisturizer and it makes the skin look a little dull. I use microdermabrasion 1-2 times monthly, wash my face with olive oil, use an all natural witch hazel astringent and a smidge of argon oil to moisturize. Some people use a wash rag or a softer loofah to exfoliate, some shave with an eyebrow razor, there are lots of ways.

BluePHX

hmmm...ton of processed foods? Do you mean the protein powder? Or do you consider yogurt "processed"? I am upping the protein powder right now because I am doing P90X and want build muscle, and I don't want to add more meat or eggs than I am already eating. Lest I sound defensive, I want you to know I am considering doing more raw/juicing and cutting down on the meat once the macro balance isn't so key.

Got a good skincare regimen, just went for a seaweed facial last week :-)

P.S. I am really looking forward to phasing back in more stuff when I hit goal weight. More of all the good stuff. I hear you, I really do!

And go very easy on dairy, if not cut it out completely. If I even get a tiny piece of cheese snuck into a meal, I have a break out to deal with for at least a week. Could be that you have an allergy to it that you weren't aware of. (Not the same as lactose intolerant.) They have coconut milk yogurt now with live cultures you could try if you don't wanna give it up. It's made by "So Delicious." I recommend the vanilla.

darwinwoodka

Get Dr. Perricone's books (don't buy the products, too expensive) and correct any nutritional deficiencies from there. Get some Derma E DMAE Alpha Lipoic C-Ester Serum. Use it. Eat salmon. Lots of salmon. That should do it.

http://www.amazon.com/Perricone-Prescription-Physicians-Program-Rejuvenation/dp/0060934352

eskiadas

I remember after I had my daughter 2 1/2 years ago, I was trying to lose weight and ate lots of celery as a snack. I'm not joking, it made my skin glow and look flawless. I had so many people ask me what i was using on my skin. I was simply eating celery lol. Give it a try.

kingofcrunk

Are you happy with how your life is going etc? I think a lot of how we look in our skin/hair/general person comes from our brain and if you feel positive about yourself then you will glow with that positivity. It sounds so ridiculous but things like stress and worries can really affect the outwards signs of 'health.' Your diet does sound really healthy! You should be proud :-) Do you think other people have noticed that you look healthier but may just have not mentioned it to you - sometimes people are shy with giving compliments as they don't know how they'll be taken. We are our own worst critics too - I will never allow myself compliments because I nit pick at all the things I don't like about myself. You might look much healthier than you think - other people don't see the little flaws that we imagine are so obvious!

I know this makes me sound like a mentalist but the healthiest looking people are always those that are happiest and most relaxed in their lives!